Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond announced the downtown jail will officially close Tuesday, ending nearly 50 years in the building.
According to a news release from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, the last inmate will be removed from the jail Tuesday morning, a final step in the county's efforts to merge the jail with the Silverdale Detention Center.
"Tuesday morning will be a historic day for Hamilton County as we close the downtown jail and move all our correctional operations to the Silverdale Detention Center," Sheriff Jim Hammond wrote. "While the Hamilton County Jail has served the needs of this community for many years, it is important to recognize progress moves on. For me, this event is rather personal as I worked for many years as Chief Deputy in this building and now, 45 years later, I will be humbled to be the sheriff who permanently closes her doors."
The downtown jail, built as the Hamilton County Justice Building, was completed in 1976 and has been in constant correctional use for almost half a century, according to the release.
Last summer, private prison company CoreCivic, which used to operate Silverdale, ended its decades-long relationship with Hamilton County over a financial dispute, allowing the sheriff to take over the Silverdale facility and realize his long-stated "pipe dream" of merging the two facilities.
The process that began at the beginning of the year will be completed Tuesday.
"With the closing of the downtown jail, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office begins a new chapter in our more than 200 years of history providing law enforcement and corrections services in Hamilton County," Chief Deputy Austin Garrett said. "Since the transition, we have made many key infrastructure improvements and technological advancements to the existing Silverdale Detention Center. Combined with the current Phase One Expansion Project and the future modular expansions, we are focused on the creation of an efficient, state-of-the-art facility capable of serving the law enforcement and correctional needs of our community."
The sheriff's office said "several civilian based offices" and the Corrections Training Division will remain in the building for the time being until they also are moved to Silverdale.
Beginning Tuesday at 6 a.m., everyone arrested by any jurisdiction locally will be booked at the Silverdale Detention Center.
The county has not announced what will be done with the fully vacated six-story jail building, located between the two county courthouses.
Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow her on Twitter @_sarahgtaylor.